I have never used anything but sewing machine oil. My last oil can came with a retractable long spout which makes oiling my machine easy.

Years ago my mother was fighting with her black Singer and she thought it needed to be oiled. Not having any sewing machine oil, she used salad oil. That meant a trip to the repairman who told her never to do that again! LOL

jThank for the info. Never knew why just sewing machine oil but always used just that. Thats a great question for my next quild meeting.

WOW I never knew this, you can bet on that I will only use sewing machine oil from now on, THANKS!!!

Thanks for the info. I had wondered why the sewing oil is always stressed, so now I know too. I always like to know why? I'm almost as bad as a five year old.

I heard that once...so I opened a bottle, and left it sitting out for 3 months..it never evaporated!

Really! Thanks for the info.

Will pass the Info. to others. Thank you! I didn't know that.

Wow! I just learned something as well, and I've been sewing almost as long as you have! Live and learn. That's one thing I love about sewing and quilting. There's always something to learn. Now I'm going to start using my sewing machine oil on the dog clippers, as I sick of cleaning the gooped up oil residue off those blades!

Jacquie,

I agree with you - sewing machine oil does NOT evaporate.

I googled to see where this thought could possibly have come from and I could find a statement on the internet that oil evaporates BUT that statement was clarified by saying the oil pools or collects in low spots when the machine sits.

Just like in your car: When the car is running, the oil circulates. When the car is not running, the oil 'pools' in the oil pan. Did the oil in the car evaporate? No.

Sewing machines do not have an oil pan, sometimes they have a drip pan. On older machines when you take the drip pan off you will find all kinds of icky, black stuff which is the used oil that has dripped off the machine. This used oil gets its blackened color due to friction caused when the oiled machine runs and is actually finite metal shavings, lint and/or dust that has acumlated in the exposed oil.

Icky black oil remnants can harden with age due to all the impurities (shavings/dust/lint) it collected while in use. Is see this kind of stuff all the time when cleaning up my old Singers.

Shari